Game or gameness is a trait most often attributed to fighting dogs, Working terrier, and Cockfight that are selectively bred, referring to their ability to persevere in a fight even when losing.
The factors that produce gameness are not well understood. Though the selective pressures involved in breeding dogs for dogfighting appear to be a significant component of gameness, dogfighters disagree about the importance of genetics to the trait. While dogs that exhibit a high degree of gameness are more prone to have offspring who are also game, the inheritance of the trait is not consistent.
Dog fighting breeds
In dog fighting
pitbulls bred for gameness are valued as the ability to not quit, despite injury,
dehydration, exhaustion or broken
.
As one writer describes it, "Game is the dog that won't quit fighting, the dog that'll die in the ring, the dog that'll fight with two broken legs." The scope and method of training to develop a game dog varies dramatically depending on the level and experience of the dog-fighter. Most "gamebred" dogs have a high pain threshold.
Working terriers
Pertaining to
and other small
,
are used to determine the dog's gameness in hunting dangerous
Vermin underground. The American Working Terrier Association currently offers a Certificate of Gameness (CG) title
which is more of a basic prey drive test. All working terriers, including but not limited to: Bedlington Terrier,
Cairn Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terrier,
Fox Terrier, Glen of Imaal Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Patterdale Terrier,
Plummer Terrier,
Rat Terrier,
Scotch Terrier,
Sealyham Terrier and
Skye Terrier display gameness.
[Glover, John. (2014). Ratting With Terriers. Suffolk, England. Skycat Publications. ]
See also
